Chapter x. of the _Lun Yü_ gives some singular details of the every-day life and habits of the Sage, calculated to provoke a smile among those with whom reverence for Confucius has not been a first principle from the cradle upwards, but received with loving gravity by the Chinese people at large. The following are extracts (Legge’s translation) from this famous chapter:-- “Confucius, in his village, looked simple and sincere, and as if he were not able to speak. When he was in the prince’s ancestral temple or in the court, he spoke minutely on every point, but cautiously. “When he entered the palace gate, he seemed to bend his body, as if it were not sufficient to admit him. “He ascended the daïs, holding up his robe with both his hands and his body bent; holding in his breath also, as if he dared not breathe. “When he was carrying the sceptre of his prince, he seemed to bend his body as if he were not able to bear its weight. “He did not use a deep purple or a puce colour in the ornaments of his dress. Even in his undress he did not wear anything of a red or reddish colour. “He required his sleeping dress to be half as long again as his body. “He did not eat rice which had been injured by heat or damp and turned sour, nor fish or flesh which was gone. He did not eat what was discoloured, or what was of a bad flavour, nor anything which was not in season. He did not eat meat which was not cut properly, nor what was served without its proper sauce. “He was never without ginger when he ate. He did not eat much. “When eating, he did not converse. When in bed, he did not speak. “Although his food might be coarse rice and vegetable soup, he would offer a little of it in sacrifice with a grave respectful air. “If his mat was not straight, he did not sit on it. “The stable being burned down when he was at Court, on his return he said, ‘Has any man been hurt?’ He did not ask about the horses. “When a friend sent him a present, though it might be a carriage and horses, he did not bow. The only present for which he bowed was that of the flesh of sacrifice. “In bed, he did not lie like a corpse. At home, he did not put on any formal deportment. “When he saw any one in a mourning dress, though it might be an acquaintance, he would change countenance; when he saw any one wearing the cap of full dress, or a blind person, though he might be in his undress, he would salute them in a ceremonious manner. “When he was at an entertainment where there was an abundance of provisions set before him, he would change countenance and rise up. On a sudden clap of thunder or a violent wind, he would change countenance.” * * * * * [Sidenote: MENCIUS]